Steve Reed dismisses Labour rebels as 'usual suspects' as Starmer faces final PMQs of parliamentary session

Good morning. Originally Keir Starmer was hoping that there would not be a need for a PMQs today, but we have got one, and it will definitely be the last of the 2024-26 parliamentary session. It will be a chance for Starmer to reflect on all the legislation passed. There is some relief that the government won the vote on Kemi Badenoch's call for Starmer to be referred to the privileges committee with ease. Labour MPs were also cheered by Darren Jones' speech winding up the debate. Some 53 Labour MPs did not take part in the division last night – some because they were authorised to be away, others because they were abstaining deliberately because they did not want to vote against the motion – but only 15 voted with Badenoch. At the start of this session of parliament, Starmer removed the whip from seven Labour MPs who voted for an SNP amendment to the king's speech motion calling for the two-child benefit benefits cap to be abolished. Subsequently this was seen as an overreaction (not least because abolishing the cap later became government policy), and in an interview this morning Steve Reed, the housing secretary, played down the prospect of last night's 15 rebels having the whip withdrawn. Asked if they should lose the whip, he told Times Radio: "There was a handful of usual suspects who did what they tend to do. I'm not in charge of discipline, I'm not too bothered about them to be honest." And he told Sky News: "You've got a handful of usual suspects that will repeatedly vote against the government. They're not going to distract us. You've got the renters' rights reforms coming in this Friday, which gives renters, people who rent their home, the biggest increase in protections and rights that we've had in a generation. That is what voters want us to focus on, not a handful of people that go off and don't play the team game with the rest of us. Ninety nine percent of us are united with the prime minister so that we can focus on the issues that matter." Reed's maths is a bit off; the 15 rebels amount to about 4% of the PLP, not 1%. But you get the point. At PMQs, Kemi Badenoch said Labour has not got a defence investment plan. The government is borrowing to fund defence. And the chancellor is briefing out rent controls to curry favour with voters. Will the PM reshuffle the chancellor? Starmer says interest rates have been cut. The cost of government borrowing has gone up because of the Iran war. And Badenoch wanted the UK to jump in with both feet. Badenoch claims the government is spending more on welfare because of Starmer's policy, and he says it cannot spend more on defence because of welfare spending. Starmer says Labour hollowed out defence. Badenoch says 1.5m people are claiming universal credit since Labour took office. Starmer says Labour is reforming the welfare system. Kemi Badenoch says the end of the session is a contrast with the beginning of it. At the start Labour MPs were asking sycophantic questions. Yesterday Starmer had to beg them to save his own skin. Starmer has not grown the economy; the only thing that has grown is the welfare bill. She asks how many people are claiming universal credit since Starmer became PM. Starmer lists government achievements, and says he is proud of his record. Keir Starmer starts PMQs by saying the state visit is a powerful reminder of the depth of the relationship with the US. He says in this session of parliament Labour has delivered "the biggest upgrade in workers rights in a generation, the biggest improvement in renters rights in a generation," and the biggest action by any government tackling child poverty. In other news, Nigel Farage was given £5m by the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne shortly before announcing he would stand in the 2024 British general election. Farage has also backed calls from Tony Blair's thinktank for significant cuts to benefits paid to people with some mental health conditions. Farage said he agreed with the Blair report that conditions like mild anxiety should not qualify for disability benefit. The pension schemes bill is to become law after peers dropped opposition following ministerial concessions. The government will be able to tell pension funds how they should invest up to 10% of savers' money in UK assets, with the power to be used from 2028 and repealed by 2035.